


Something More

by crazyinfj



Series: Febuwhump 2021 [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst-I guess?, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), It’s more Obi Wan yearning than anything, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, One sided Obi-Wan/Luminara, Pining, Unhappy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:28:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29101758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazyinfj/pseuds/crazyinfj
Summary: Obi-Wan’s been ignoring his feelings for Luminara Unduli for years, both of them happy to disregard the bond between them. But history has a way of repeating itself and finally, Obi-Wan and Luminara must face what they’ve been feeling.Based off of The Clone Wars S2 E7, where Luminara gets captured by Genenosian bugs.Febuwhump Day #3 Prompt: Imprisonment
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Luminara Unduli & Quinlan Vos, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Luminara Unduli
Series: Febuwhump 2021 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2135274
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	Something More

Obi-Wan has seen the face of danger. Too many times, and each time he swears will be his last. He’ll get better, he’ll be more evasive, he will ensure that his duty as Jedi is done when he hops into his ship once more.

It’s different though, when it’s your friend in danger. Adrenaline doesn’t spark through his veins. Stone cold _fear_ drops his arms, weighing them down like lead. 

Such has always been the case with Luminara Unduli. Ever since they met as padawans, they had grown to be friends. And even though the lines between them had been made, everytime she faced danger, Obi-Wan felt it in his bones. Supposedly, there was no force bond between them. Obi-Wan knew better. When she had broken two of her ribs, he had stayed in her room, nursed her back to health when her own Master had not. He had watched her laugh, and felt the gentle fluctuations of the force between them. 

He had been conscious when she had looked at him with a bit of apprehension, on his becoming a knight. He felt her gentle, hesitant waves of pride, and he had smiled back at her. Afterwards, she had hugged him, and he had felt the bond come to life. 

And then there was _that_ mission. When he had to go undercover with Luminara. Under the guise of regular teenagers, they were to put a stop to the creation of another fifteen thousand droids. But at one point during the lightsaber duel, Luminara had fallen off the edge of the roof, and using the Force, he had caught her before she crashed to the ground. He supposed that was the moment, when he let the enemy get away, that he realized that he loved her. That was when the bond had sparked like a supernova, and then, in Luminara’s frustration with him, almost died like a star. 

There had never been an exact moment, Obi-Wan supposed, when they had talked about the bond. They had just acknowledged its existence and danced around each other, both too afraid to split the bond, but not wanting to venture further into it. So, the bond between them stayed quiet for years, with both of them living separate lives. Until of course, now when Obi-Wan could feel Luminara’s approbation through their bond. 

“These catacombs go on for miles, we might’ve lost him.” On the hologram, Master Unduli’s face was in a pinch, and she seemed frustrated. She always got mad when she is less than adequate. It was a tendency that her own Master had passed onto her. 

“Get yourself out of there.”

“Master Unduli?”

“The connection cut sir.” Rex reported, and Obi-Wan looked to the southeast.

“We’ll head out once this storm lifts.”

Comforting himself, he played the overused mantra in his head. _~~Luminara~~ Master Unduli is not one to take unnecessary risks. _ The phrase washed over Obi-Wan like an overused record, one heard too many times to actually make a difference. 

_No, but she would sacrifice herself for the greater good_

“Where are you going Anakin?”

“To help Mast-”

“We’re not going anywhere until this storm lifts.”

“But Master-”

“Luminara would personally fight you if you did something so rash.”

“Good point.” Anakin returned to his seat and winced. Obi-Wan frowned. How come she put more fear into Anakin than himself? 

A few minutes later, and Anakin was back out of his seat, this time grumbling. Obi-Wan sighed. Even though Anakin wasn’t his padawan anymore by title, sometimes it still felt like he was. 

“I hate this planet.” Anakin mumbled, and Obi-Wan let out a harsh laugh. 

“Because of the sand?”

“If I were powerful enough, I’d destroy all sand.”

“Let’s thank the Force that you’re not.”

Anakin gave his master a look and then turned the conversation. “You think Master Unduli is okay?”

“She is more than capable of handling herself. I have all the faith in her.”

“You two seem close.”

“We grew up together. Quinlan, Bant, and her. We were all padawans together. Much like you and Aayla.”

“So that’s it?” Anakin gave Obi-Wan a suspicious look and then turned his head away from his master’s gaze. “No, _feelings?”_

“I am sorry to disappoint. Master Unduli is one of my best friends, but nothing more.” Obi-Wan hoped Anakin didn’t see him wince. How obvious was their bond? Regardless, he had lived his life disregarding the bond, he could do it again. 

At least, when Obi-Wan said that with absolute certainty, Anakin didn’t press. Obi-Wan was not going to tell Anakin that she and him had… _something_. Anakin was many things, but he would encourage him more than anything, and Obi-Wan did not want to entertain the thought more than he already did. 

_Sometimes, when he was weak without sleep and wanted a warm bed to return to, he wondered if he had made the right choice._

_”However, you and Padme…”_

Obi didn’t get to finish his phrase, but he caught his padawan’s blush. He would ask about that later. 

\--

Under the watchful and creepy eye of a bug shrine, the Jedi and their troopers examined the outside of the Progate Temple, joined by Jedi Master, Ki Adi Mundi.

“There was a struggle.” Rex commented, looking at the unsettled sand. 

A future comment stayed strangling in Obi-Wan’s throat when he picked up the Jedi lightsaber. There was no way she would’ve willingly continued without her saber.

“Obi-Wan! She broke your rule!”

“The rule’s more hers than mine, something _big_ must’ve happened.”

 _Where are you my friend - my-?_ He didn’t dare continue that thought. Instead, he looked at the entrance. There was only one way to find out. Securing her saber to his belt, and the others holding their respective weapons, the crew made their way through the maze, leaving Mundi to keep an eye on the surface. 

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

“Anakin, everytime you say that you give _me_ a bad feeling.”

“Sorry Master, but dark creepy underground mazes? Not really my idea of comfort.”

_Pretty sure your idea of comfort involves a certain someone back in Coruscant._

Of course, when Anakin opens his mouth, it’s like an invitation for a problem to arise. And this problem is well, nothing Obi-wan has ever faced. It’s not just mindless drones, but something similar to the undead, that _somehow_ can’t feel pain or be subdued. 

Finding a tunnel to escape to, Obi-Wan did a head check. Everyone’s miraculously alive, but Obi-Wan didn’t want to take his chances. He sent two of his men up to the surface, to alert Master Mundi. He doesn’t like to escape, it feels like almost cheating, but the lives of his men are more important than a mere victory. 

“So we’re going down a darker, deeper maze?” Anakin asked, ever the speaker of the obvious. 

“Unless you see another way out.”

“I’ll lead the way.”

\--

They find her, and Obi-Wan wants to be relieved. It was easier than they expected. Except, she's in energy bonds and a weakened state. 

“Let’s charge.”

“This is a hostage situation Anakin, not a rampage. Surround the area and wait for our signal.” Giving Anakin a hard look, he lays out his command. “Follow _my_ lead.” He can only hope his padawan listens. With Luminara’s life in the balance, they could not take any risks. 

Emerging from their hiding place, Obi-Wan, known by many as the negotiator, appeals directly to the Queen. “Hello there. I am Obi-Wan and I must compliment you on capturing such a hard target as Unduli. However, I am in mighty need of her assistance. So I must implore you to let her go.”

“I have not the slightest consideration of letting my target go. I wish to try a new experiment on a, _fresher_ subject.”

“Oh, and what would this experiment be?”

“You’ll see.”

Poggle the Lesser, who truly deserved that name, Obi-Wan observed, had grabbed what appeared to be a shell. Out of it squirmed a snake/worm, trying to _get inside Luminara’s nose_. Obi-Wan didn’t even have time to be grossed out, or intrigued, because he was signaling the attack.

Lights flashed around them, causing general chaos. With Anakin slashing the attacking undead, Obi-wan released Luminara, and despite her weakened state, she demanded her lightsaber back. 

_Don’t fall for Jedi, they aren’t impressed when you get them out of a hostage situation._

Not that Luminara fell for him either way

“We’ve set up bombs. We’ve got fifty seconds tops.” 

Without really thinking, Obi-Wan grabbed Luminara’s hand and pulled her to the tunnel, practically dragging her up to the surface, his troops with Pogggle, and Anakin leading the way.

“I don’t need you to hold my hand! Let go!”

Barely hearing her over the first explosion, Obi-Wan ignored her statement and kept going, until they saw the light streaming through the tunnel. 

Counting the time in his head, he knew that Luminara would not be able to jump out of the tunnel before it collapsed. With a final burst of adrenaline, Obi-Wan force pushed Luminara onto the surface as the last bomb exploded. Apparently, history does end up repeating itself. Obi-Wan would always protect Luminara. 

\--

“It was not calculated, it was rash and stupid.”

“You’re both safe, I don’t see the matter here.”

Obi-Wan opened his eyes to be met with the blazing sun of Geonosis, and groaned. How long had it been?

As if reading his thoughts, Anakin knelt down and smiled impishly. “How are you feeling? Alive? Well, Master Unduli is going to make you wish you had died.”

“How long has it been?”

Answering his own question, Obi-Wan pushed himself forward to see the Geonosian Temple collapsed, the dust still settling. “Head count?”

“Everyone made it out.”

“Master Mundi?”

“Reporting to the Council.”

“Poggle?”

“Cody’s not letting him get away.”

Obi-Wan glanced over to where Anakin was grinning, to find his commander, who had handcuffed himself to Poggle, the alien looked quite unimpressed and unhappy. Served him right.

\--

Back at Coruscant, Obi-Wan did his best to avoid being alone with Luminara. However, when he stepped out of his fresher, he was greeted by Luminara making tea over his stove, like she lived there. _How had she found his good stash?_

As if reading his mind, Luminara snorted. “You and Quinlan keep it in the same place. Bant at least makes hers hard to find.”

“You’re just gonna sit there?”

“I’m being useful, making tea and all. Put on clothes and then we’re having words.” Luminara didn’t even glance back at him yet he felt very exposed. He should stop making it a habit to discard his robes at the door, or this whole awkward encounter wouldn’t have happened. 

Not that nudity was something Obi-Wan was uncomfortable with. He often had one fresher for all his men, He was so beyond modesty. But he had never had a _girl_ see him like this, at least, not in the daylight. Was he self-conscious? And when did that happen? 

“Don’t worry, I’m not looking. I’ve seen one too many naked men.”

Deciding just to get dressed there instead walking back to the bathroom, Obi-Wan hummed, as if to give her an invitation to continue. Well, if she was going to make herself at home in his room, she was going to have to deal with him here, changing.

“We’re in a war Obi-Wan. Besides Barriss, I am surrounded by troops. Of men. At some point, you’re bound to see each other less than covered. Besides, last time Quinlan was here, he had to use my fresher, and then _walked naked_ back to his room to get his clothes.”

“Convenient.” Obi-Wan grinned, knowing that Luminara hated living so close to Quinlan, who often barged into her quarters, in a state of chaos (when was he not?) and then asked to use something of hers. 

“Very much so.”

Obi-Wan let his mind waver for a moment, when he pictured Luminara not here to lecture him, but returning home from a long day at work. And quickly, he shoved that thought back down. He did not want that particular feeling being shared through the bond.

\--

“You and Anakin are similar.”

“In which ways?” Obi-Wan hoped this conversation was not going to be about his rashness. Obi-Wan’s impulsivity and Anakin’s were two vastly different brands. Anakin’s usually ended up with a crashed jet and an explosion. At least Obi-Wan’s _looked good._

“You both stop at nothing to save those close to you.”

“If you’re about to say that’s not Jedi-like-”

“That’s exactly what I’m going to say. Your attachment is dangerous Obi-Wan. You’re flirting with danger.”

“Is this about the tunnel?”

“Of course it is.”

“Or is it about me repeating history?”

Luminara eyes wavered for a moment. “I am simply glad we did not lose Poggle this time.”

“I felt it in the force, you were in danger.”

She didn’t mention the force bond, and brushed over it all together almost. “Yes, danger that you put yourself in when you came.”

“I stand by my claim that it was a calculated risk. I was very much aware of what dangers there were”

“I told you not to come after me.”

“They would’ve implanted that worm in you, and goodness sake Luminara, I don’t want to fight you.”

“You would’ve killed me, such as the duty of the Jedi.”

Obi-Wan stayed silent. The thought of killing any of his fellow Jedi made his stomach churn. The thought of killing _a friend? The girl he had loved since he was fourteen?_ He didn’t want that kind of responsibility. But in the end, he knew that it was what he would’ve done. 

“However, in coming to rescue you, we avoided all chances at such happening.”

“And put yourselves in unnecessary harm.”

“That’s our job Luminara. We fight the battles others cannot. And usually, that involves a lot of dangerous missions.”

“Don’t let me be a reason for the death of good men Obi-Wan. I don’t want that legacy.”

Obi-Wan’s shoulders slouched. How many times had he said the same thing about himself? Suddenly, he realized that she was fighting him for the same reason he fought Anakin. He didn’t want that blood on his hands. But more than that, he didn’t want to be alone.

“I didn’t want to lose another friend to this war.”

“Friend Obi-Wan, is that how friends act with each other?” _Or are we more? The answered question danced around the room, lighting up the bond between them_

She was close enough that he could reach out, and he yearned to, but did not do so. If he got so much as one more touch, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to let go.

Her eyes flickered downward and she smoothed her headcovering. “Thank you for saving me Obi-Wan. I may not agree with what you did, but thank you regardless.” She seemed to pause before she spoke again. “I do not feel that you are evil Obi-Wan. I don’t feel you are flirting with the dark side. I just want to protect my friend from his reckless self sacrifice.”

“Will you ever see me as more?” The words slipped out before Obi-Wan could rein his mouth, and Luminara gave him one last look. One of understanding, almost apologetic.

“Maybe in a different world, we could be something more.”

_And maybe, in a different world, we could look at each other without suffering._

When he passed her in the hallway that next hour, he didn’t feel the bond between them spark. Instead, he felt something he feared more than that: he felt numbness. The bond between them was gone, lost to the Force. Squaring his shoulders, he met her eyes with the mindset of a Jedi. She was a friend and nothing more. 

_Even if there was something more._

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t even know if this is suitable to be called a whump? I truly have no idea anymore. It’s more yearning on Obi-Wan’s part. I figured I’d just give sad melancholy feels before I rip your hearts out _smiles threateningly_
> 
> Either way, I loved Luminara/Obi-Wan (Kenduli?) so I decided to throw in one sided pining...and I’m very sorry. ~~(Who am I kidding I wrote this you all must suffer with me)~~
> 
> [Crazyinfj’s Tumblr! (aka the writer)](http://crazyinfj.tumblr.com/)
> 
> [Eylle9’s Tumblr! (aka the beta)](https://tumblr.com/blog/eylle9)


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